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offgrid
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Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Calendar Event: Solar Panel Posted: 14 Mar 2020 at 2:05pm |
The standard TV in rPods is 120vac only, you will need to swap out for a dual voltage TV or get an inverter. Here is a dual voltage one as an example but you should get one the same size as your existing one so it fits.
80 amp hours of LI battery is good for most folks. It should provide enough current to run the microwave but you would need to buy a 2KW or larger sine wave inverter. Like this for example:
It will draw something like 150 amps from the battery running the micro so you will want to locate the inverter as close to the battery as possible and run at least 1/0 gauge wire to it from the battery, which is big stuff.
If the charge controller that came with your solar modules is not set up for Li battery charging you should consider very carefully before you use it. Again, lithium batteries can catch fire if overcharged. Proper wire sizing and fuse protection for all the system components is also critical for safety.
Documentation? There are numerous online resources. For lithium batteries and batteries in general I would take a look at batteryuniversity.com. That's probably a good place to start.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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KB7LAK
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Joined: 12 Mar 2020
Location: UT
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Posted: 14 Mar 2020 at 12:40pm |
12v batteries. I will connect them in parallel and have 80 amp hours.
I'll use the charge controller that came with the panels.
There's USB ports around, so the kids are ok. The TV may run off the batteries, not sure yet.
80 a may run the microwave. I don't have both batteries installed right now to test it.
I just wish there was better documentation with these things. Who has something?
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offgrid
Senior Member
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Posted: 14 Mar 2020 at 11:18am |
Originally posted by KB7LAK
That was a thorough answer!
I bought some smart batteries that will take a regular charger.
Valence batteries. Yes, 40 amp hours. 2 40 amp hour batteries.
100 watt panels, I just got at harbor freight, and it has a charge controller.
Do I have an inverter or do I need one? I think if I don't need A/C, I can dry camp for a few days with batteries, propane, and solar panels. |
Are the two 40AH batteries you got 12V or 6V? If they are 12V then you will be connecting them in parallel and will have 80AH capacity. if 6V then they need to be connected in series so you will have 40AH capacity.
40AH is small for most folks, even though you can use most of that capacity with Li batteries. You should still not use more than than about 80-85% if you want to get long life out of them. So that's about 35AH in practice.
All Li batteries are "smart" in that they need a battery management system (BMS) to be operated safely. So, be careful to really understand what protections the BMS your batteries have provides. If you overcharge Li batteries they can catch fire. The WFCO charger in your rPod left to its own can overcharge them. WFCO and others make different chargers meant for use with Li batteries.
The other consideration besides overcharging is excessive discharging. Lead acid batteries can run as high as 14.4 V charging and as low as 11-11.5 V discharging. Li batteries have a much narrower voltage range, so if you have a Li battery that charges up to 14V it will be fully discharged around 12.5-13V. In other words, you don't want to discharge a Li battery to as low a voltage as you would a lead acid one. A battery monitor will help you to track your battery state of charge. They are available pretty inexpensively these days.
Re inverters, no you don't really need one. You can't run your a/c on battery anyway, it takes waaay to much energy. That leaves your microwave and TV as the ac loads in the trailer as it comes from the factory. You can get a dual voltage TV pretty inexpensively, so that can be run efficiently on 12V. The microwave can in theory be run for short periods (a few minutes at most) from an inverter, but you'd need at least a 2kw inverter for that and a 40AH battery probably can't produce enough current to run it. So if you do without your microwave while boondocking you won't need an inverter unless you add some other ac loads to the trailer.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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KB7LAK
Newbie
Joined: 12 Mar 2020
Location: UT
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 10
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Posted: 14 Mar 2020 at 10:50am |
That was a thorough answer!
I bought some smart batteries that will take a regular charger.
Valence batteries. Yes, 40 amp hours. 2 40 amp hour batteries.
100 watt panels, I just got at harbor freight, and it has a charge controller.
Do I have an inverter or do I need one? I think if I don't need A/C, I can dry camp for a few days with batteries, propane, and solar panels.
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Posts: 5290
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Posted: 13 Mar 2020 at 8:42am |
Originally posted by KB7LAK
What are the plugs called that are on the roof for solar? I have a 2019 172 and I want to wire in a 200 watt set of panels. It says it's wired for solar, so is there a wiring diagram or schematic to how all this wires up? I bought some used lithium iron phosphate batteries that will run the camper. I just want to extend them beyond the 40 amp capacity they have. One of the 2 wiring harnesses has a charging voltage on it when the trailer is plugged into shore power, and the other does not. This tells me there's different places these voltages go.
Does anyone have a schematic of the 172? |
No schematic but as GlueGuy says the circuits are pretty simple. Assuming by "two harnesses" you mean the 4 wires connected to the tongue mounted battery, one pair of these should go to the solar connector on the side of the trailer, the other pair (the ones with voltage on them) to the ac charger and dc fuse panel.
You do not need to use the existing wires going to the solar connector. Many folks find it more convenient to run their own conductors from their batteries to their charge controller and on to their solar modules. Either way, please DO install a fuse or circuit breaker at the battery, it is unsafe to run an unprotected circuit from the battery, if you get a short you can burn up your trailer.
Use at least 10 gauge wire and a 30A fuse. If you plan to keep your solar modules portable and run a longer set of conductors to them (over about 20 feet one way) then go to 8 gauge wire to keep your voltage losses down.
You will need a solar charge controller configured for lithium batteries and should change out your ac charger as well, lithium batteries need a different charge protocol than lead acid batts. Also, you should not attempt to charge lithium batteries when they are below freezing, so many folks relocate them to the inside of their trailers from the tongue so they stay warm.
When you say you want to extend beyond the 40 amp capacity of the batteries you have, I think you probably mean 40 amp hours. Amp hours are a measure of battery capacity. Amps are a measure of instantaneous power from the battery (assuming a nominal 12V battery).
If you add 200 watts of solar to your system that will produce around 12-13 amps at full sun as GlueGuy says. Over a typical 4-5 hours full sun on a decent day you would get around 50 amp hours, more than what your battery can take even if you start with it fully discharged. What I'm leading up to is that 200 watts is really too much for a 40 amp hour battery. I would suggest staying with about 100 watts of solar and consider getting more battery capacity first before adding more solar (assuming you need more).
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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GlueGuy
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Joined: 15 May 2017
Location: N. California
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Posts: 2629
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Posted: 12 Mar 2020 at 5:47pm |
The zamp (or whatever brand) connectors are wired directly to the battery(ies). No need for a wiring diagram. If there is more than one connector, they are most likely just wired in parallel. 200 watt solar panels would produce (at a maximum) only about 16 amps. In reality, they would probably provide about 13 amps maximum. You would need over 500 watts of solar to produce 40 amps.
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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost
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KB7LAK
Newbie
Joined: 12 Mar 2020
Location: UT
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Posts: 10
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Posted: 12 Mar 2020 at 5:23pm |
What are the plugs called that are on the roof for solar? I have a 2019 172 and I want to wire in a 200 watt set of panels. It says it's wired for solar, so is there a wiring diagram or schematic to how all this wires up? I bought some used lithium iron phosphate batteries that will run the camper. I just want to extend them beyond the 40 amp capacity they have. One of the 2 wiring harnesses has a charging voltage on it when the trailer is plugged into shore power, and the other does not. This tells me there's different places these voltages go.
Does anyone have a schematic of the 172?
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Michiganders
Newbie
Joined: 07 Feb 2020
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Posts: 6
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Posted: 15 Feb 2020 at 9:09am |
Ok, thanks. Ours is rewired & has the plug on roof.
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JR
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Joined: 31 Aug 2018
Location: Manistee, MI
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Posted: 15 Feb 2020 at 8:38am |
No the panels did not plug in on the roof. My RPod is a 2019 179 which was "wired" for solar only from the batteries up front to a plug in the near the rear entry door. Not wanting to penetrate the roof with another hole (a place for a possible water leak) I chose to run the solar panel wiring 1+ and 1- down the front of the trailer through a specially bent piece of PVC piping and run under the trailer coming up through flooring near the water pump. That is where I connected the solar charge controller and a zantrex switcher, inverter, converter.
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Jay
179/2019
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Michiganders
Newbie
Joined: 07 Feb 2020
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Posted: 14 Feb 2020 at 7:28pm |
Did the Renogy plug into the plug on roof ?
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